Improvement in links for drive-chains



G. W. LEVALLEY. Links for Drive-Chains.

No. 214,409. Patented April 15, 187-9. 2 49.] 2. .5. 4.

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L A Wilf wsqas W 11475. Witt/41m W UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER \V. LEVALLEY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

IMPROVEMENT lN LINKS FOR DRIVE-CHAINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,409, dated April15, 1879; application filed November 29, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER W. LE-

VALLEY, of St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chains; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form part of this specification.

One part of my invention relates to a novel construction of drive-chain,consisting of two side bars, each terminating at one end in a hook, andprovided at the other end with an inwardly-projecting pivot-lug of suchsize as will permit the lug to enter the throat formed between the endof the hook and the opposing and adjacent face of metal, near the baseor heel end of said hook, the side bars'being connected with each otherby means of a tiebar or other piece of metal.

The object of this part of the invention is to reduce the weight of themetal required for the chain, thereby decreasing its cost and promotingthe durability not only of the chain but of the sprocket-wheels, whichare driven by the chain, having found by experience that even a smallreduction in the weight of the chain effects a great saving in the wearof these wheels.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of my links,

showing a closed side of the link. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the oppositeside of the same link. Fig. 3 is a section of the pivots taken on linemy, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view showing the links in reversedpositions. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the position in which the linksmust be placed in order to detach them when both hooks are turned in thesame direction. Fig. 6 is a side viewshowing the position in which thelinks are placed for disconnecting when the positions of the hooks arereversed. Figs. 7 and Srepresent links, showing additional features ofthe invention. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A B are the side bars, eachterminating at one end in a hook, O, and provided at the opposite endwith an inwardly-projecting pivot-spur, D.

By an examination of Fig. 2 it will be seen that the throat between theend of the hook and its adjacent base, or point of atachment with theside bar, is not of uniform width on account of a projecting nib, 0which makes the inner portion, 0, of the throat narrower than the outerportion, 0 and it will also be seen that there is a correspondingdifference in the construction of the pivot-lug at the opposite end ofthe side bar--that is to say, one side of said lug is cut away orrecessed at d, and the other side is similarly recessed at d, in orderthat these pivot-lugs can be inserted Within the hook only when theparts are in such position that the end of the hook shall pass therecess (t and the nib 0' shall pass the recess d, it being apparent thatif the relative position of these parts he inverted the pivot-lugs willnot enter within the hooks, because, although the nib c would readilyenter the recess (1', the end of the hook will not permit the passage ofthe shoulder d". D is a tie-bar connecting the side bars, A B.

Referring now to Fig. 5, in which the hooks of both links are turned up,it will be seen that the links must be placed in the relation thereshown, in order that the ends of the hooks may pass the recesses d topermit the ends of a chain to be connected or disconnected, which issometimes desirable where the distance between the sprocket-wheels issuch that a good deal of slack in the chain is either unavoidable ordesirable, as the necessity of placing the links in this relation beforedetaching them insures that they shall not he accidentally disconnected;but under some conditions it is impracticable to obtain much slack inthe chain, and in such cases one link may be reversed-that is to say,have its hook turned the other way, as indicated in Fig. 6-when it willbe found that the ends may be connected or disconnected by merelyplacing these reversed links in the relation shown in that figure.

In Fig. 7 I dispense with the tie-bar D, and unite the parts by means ofa tie, 0, connecting the ends of the hooks, and by preference I providethis construction of link with projecting cars a b, which fit closelythe outer surfaces of the opposite ends of A B and prevent any spreadingof these ends, thus insuring that the pivot-lugs shall fit closely tothe hooks throughout the entire length of the lugs and width of thehooks, whereby the greatest strength and etiiciency are secured.

In Fig. 8 the side bars are connected with each other at their oppositeends, the pivotlugs forming a continuous bar for that purpose, and Iprovide said bar upon its side with a nib, e, which enters between thehooks (l C.

As above stated these links are intended to be formed into a chainadapted to engage with the projecting spurs of a sprocket-wheel, whichspurs, as ordinarily constructed, project from the periphery of thewheels, and are square or rectangular in cross'section, and it isdesirable that the links of the chain should be so constructed as topass over and tit closely the bases or widest portions of the lugs inany positionthat is to say, whether the links of the chains be placedeither side up, or whether they be driven in one direction or the other,in passing over the wheels t'or which reason it is desirable that theside bars A and B should be parallel with each other.

In order to preserve this parallelism of the bars A and B, I have'placedthe books (I not at the ends of the bars, so as to form continuationsthereof, and in the same planes with the bars, but have connected them(the hooks) to the inner faces of the bars in the same planes with thepivots Din such manner that the outer faces of the hooks will, when thelinks are connected, tit closely the inner faces of the ends of the barsto which the pivots are adapted. This construction permits the bars tobe connected with each other in such manner as to maintain theirparallelism.

It is apparent that when the chain is under tension there is a tendencyto draw the hooks toward each other, and to prevent their approach Iprefer to use a continuous bar, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of thepivots l), and provide this bar with a nib or stop, 0, which entersbetween the ends of the hooks and prevents such approach, thus insuringthat the barsfj, Fig. h, shall engage with the entire width of thehooks, thereby preventing undue strain upon any part.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a construction which accomplishes the sameresult. ]n this figure the side bars are connected by means of anintermediate tie, e, which joins the hooks, each bar being provided witha projecting car, as at a and b, and from an examination of this figureit will be readily seen that when the links are connected the lugs Dwill be maintained in the desirable relation to the hooks, because thecars a b will prevent the bars A and B from spreading.

From the above description it will be seen that a chain constructed asshown in Figs. 4, 5, or 6 will fit equally well upon the lugs of thesprocket-wheel whichever side up the chain may be used, and will runupon said wheel equally well in either direction-that is to say, whetherthe chain is so arranged that the hooks or the opposite ends of thelinks engage first with the wheel.

I do not in this patent claim a chain-link having the throat in its hookof irregular form, as that feature of construction constitutes thesubject-matter of another application filed by LDC.

What I claim is- 1. A chain-link composed of two side bars, eachprovided at one end with a pivotlug which projects inwardly at a rightangle from the bar, and at its opposite end with a hook which isattached to and projects inwardly from the bar, said bars beingconnected with each other at one point only, substantially as set forth.

2. A chain-link composed of two side bars, each provided at one end wltha pivot-lug which projects inwardly at a right angle, but does notconnect with its opposing lug, and at the other end with a hook whichprojects inwardly from the bar, the said bars being connected with eachother at or near the hooks only, substantially as set forth.

3. A chain-link composed of two side bars, eachprovided at one end witha pivot-lug which projects inwardly at a right angle, but is notattached to the other lug, and at its other end with a hook whichprojects inwardly from the bar, the side bars being connected with eachother by means of the tie 0 between the hooks, substantially as setforth.

4. A chain-link provided with projecting ears a b to retain the pivotsof the engaging link in proper position relative to the hooks,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I atijx my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER W. LEVALLEY.

Witnesses:

11. ll. Buss, S. \VoLF.

